Candice Malan talks about the history of Remembrance day and four of Canada's greatest war heroes, and why it's so important to remember those who fought and died for our freedom. The Candice Malcolm Show is brought to you by The Royal Canadian Legion and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
00:00:00.000Brave Canadians fought and died to defend and preserve our freedoms.
00:00:04.540Let us honour them, let us thank them, and lest we forget.
00:00:07.960I'm Candice Malcolm and this is The Candice Malcolm Show.
00:00:15.020Hi everyone, thank you so much for tuning in to a special Remembrance Day edition of The Candice Malcolm Show.
00:00:20.560Today I want to talk a little bit about some of the greatest moments in Canadian history,
00:00:25.920some of the proudest individual Canadians who fought, in many cases, died for our freedom.
00:00:32.560I know that in today's world, Canada is sort of known as like a kinder, gentler, more polite, more reserved version of our American neighbours.
00:00:43.180We are sort of known as being a little bit more progressive, a little bit more liberal, and sort of just more polite, more reserved for sure.
00:00:51.060But it wasn't always the case. Canada's reputation globally used to be quite different.
00:00:54.540We used to be known as sort of rowdy fighters, the kind of people that you would want on your side during a fight.
00:01:01.360Canadians were known and celebrated and revered as war heroes, as incredibly brave on the battlefield.
00:01:09.440They were feared by their enemies and, you know, absolutely revered and loved around the world for the risks and the bravery.
00:01:17.580They were known as being innovative and having ingenuity really sort of different than what comes to mind today when you think of a Canadian.
00:01:27.020And I think that the sort of new iteration of like, you know, a Justin Trudeau Canadian is still quite wrong.
00:01:34.440You know, you go to most parts of the country and that sort of rowdy, independent-spirited, you know, loyal, all of those great qualities still exist in many, many Canadians around the country.
00:01:47.960That might not be the reputation that we sort of get globally, but it still is there.
00:01:52.620And especially on a day like Members, it's so important to revisit our history, to go back to those moments that really helped define us as a country and recognize the incredible bravery that was needed in order to go off to a foreign land to fight, risk your life.
00:02:07.000In many cases, just witness absolutely horrific things in the name of war, all to defend an ideal, the ideal of our freedoms, our Western liberal democracy that we have today and how fortunate we are, how rare it is in human history to live in a country that is so free, so prosperous, based on the rule of law that grants so many freedoms.
00:02:27.260I think that it's incredibly important for us to remember that and revisit it.
00:02:32.300So I want to first talk a little bit about Remembrance Day, the history of the day, and then I'm going to get into four war heroes that we selected to highlight on the program today.
00:02:40.680So Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919.
00:02:44.180It was observed throughout the British Commonwealth.
00:02:46.660It was originally called the Armistice Day because it was there to commemorate the Armistice Agreement, the agreement that ended the First World War.
00:02:52.900And that, of course, happened on November 11th.
00:02:58.580So the 11th hour, the 11th day, the 11th month.
00:03:03.080Oh, and by the way, you might be wondering why I'm still wearing my poppy because you're supposed to take your poppy off after that 11 a.m. ceremony.
00:03:10.180Well, I record my show earlier in the morning and then we air it in the afternoon.
00:03:14.260So right now as I'm recording it, it's not 11 a.m. yet and hence why I still am wearing my poppy.
00:03:20.020But yes, so the 11th hour, 11th day, 11th month, that was the Armistice Day.
00:03:24.080So from 1921 to 1930, Armistice Day was held on Monday of the week of November 11th.
00:03:31.480But then in 1931, a member of Parliament from Comox, Alberni, introduced a bill to observe Armistice Day always on November 11th, passed in the House of Commons.
00:03:41.460And the day was changed to Remembrance Day.
00:03:43.620So the first Remembrance Day was observed on November 11th, 1931, and we have been observing Remembrance Day on November 11th ever since.
00:03:51.680So every year on November 11th, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men and women who have served and to continue to serve Canada throughout times of war, times of conflict, as well as times of peace.
00:04:04.480We remember the more than 2.3 million Canadians who have served throughout our nation's history and the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice, who gave their lives to protect Canada, to defend our freedoms and our way of life.
00:04:19.600And of course, the poppy, we're all very familiar with the poppy.
00:04:24.160Replica poppies are sold by the Royal Canadian Legion and the proceeds go to veterans, provide assistance to veterans.
00:04:31.680The national ceremony for Remembrance Day is held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
00:04:37.840The Governor General of Canada presides over the ceremony.
00:04:40.900It's also attended by the Prime Minister, other government officials, representatives of veterans' organizations, diplomatic representatives, other dignitaries, veterans, as well as the general public.
00:04:51.700So in advance of the ceremony, we see long columns of veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members, RCMP officers, as well as cadets.
00:04:59.640They march to the memorial led by a bagpipe band and a color guard.
00:05:05.940And at the end of the ceremony, they march away to officially close the ceremony.
00:05:09.780And so Canada is not the only one to recognize Remembrance Day.
00:05:12.840Some of the 54 Commonwealth member states, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia,
00:05:18.200they all observe the tradition of Remembrance Day, just like Canada, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
00:05:25.020Other nations observe a solemn day, but at a different time.
00:05:29.520So for example, ANZAC Day is observed in New Zealand on April 25th.
00:05:33.560In South Africa, Poppy Day is marked on the Sunday that falls closest to November 11th.
00:05:38.480So lots of countries around the world look at this day as an important day in history because it ended that first world war.
00:05:45.740And also many nations that are not members of the Commonwealth also observe Remembrance Day on November 11th, including France, Belgium and Poland.
00:05:54.280And interestingly, the United States used to commemorate Armistice Day on November 11th.
00:05:58.820However, in 1954, they changed the name to Veterans Day.
00:06:02.400So just a little bit of history about this day, why we honor it, why we commemorate it.
00:06:06.200And really, it just gives us an opportunity to pause and recognize how incredibly fortunate we are to live in this time of sustained peace, incredible opportunity, freedom and prosperity.
00:06:19.500Yes, I know that so many of our freedoms have been taken away or at least suspended temporarily because of COVID and the crazy last two years that we've had.
00:06:28.460But really, when you look back and you think about some of the times where people actually went off to war, when the entire world was engulfed in a war, I mean, it's hard to imagine what it would feel like, you know, to be a parent at that time, to have a child, to be in a situation where you were being sent off to a foreign land to defend a place you've never even been to, people you've never met, as well as to defend Canada broadly and defend the world against threats.
00:06:57.920But really, we should all recognize how incredibly fortunate we are to live at this time.
00:07:04.720And it is because of the sacrifices by people who came before us.
00:07:07.820So I do want to get into honoring some Canadian histories and spotlighting some really, really tremendous Canadians.
00:07:14.260But before I do that, I just want to say, if you are enjoying the Candace Malcolm Show, if you like what we do here at True North, head on over to tnc.news.donate and consider making a modest donation to help us with our efforts.
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00:09:08.400So armed with only a pistol, Clark was facing around 20 German infantrymen and two officers.
00:09:15.740Undaunted, Clark fought tooth and nail with whatever he could find, picking up enemy rifles off the ground.
00:09:21.340And finally, using this pistol, he killed 18 enemy soldiers, captured one, sent the rest running, and suffered only a bayonet wound in the process.
00:09:29.980And keep in mind, we're talking about the First World War, where guns didn't really work.
00:09:34.260I mean, half the time, they were jammed.
00:09:36.420The whole idea of modern warfare didn't exist.
00:09:39.320So really, a lot of the times, these guys were fighting with their fists, with knives.
00:09:43.840And incredible bravery, incredible story of Leo Clark from Hamilton, Ontario.
00:09:49.340So next, I want to talk about a World War II veteran by the name of Thomas George Prince.
00:09:54.300Prince was one of 11 children born to Henry and Arabella Prince of the Broken Head Band in Scantanbury, Manitoba.
00:10:01.540Prince was enlisted in June 1940 at the age of 24 and began his wartime service as a sapper with the Royal Canadian Engineers.
00:10:10.700After two years with the RCE, he answered a call for paratrooper volunteers.
00:10:15.420And by late 1942, he was training with the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion.
00:10:20.620As the name suggests, the group was one of the first modern special forces units performing highly dangerous missions behind enemy lines.
00:10:27.020They were arguably the closest real-world counterpart to Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards.
00:10:33.440Now, as one of Prince's officers recalled, he moved like a shadow.
00:10:36.980Sometimes, instead of killing the Germans, he'd steal something from them.
00:10:40.240Other times, he'd slit their throats and not make a sound.
00:10:43.620So Prince served in both World War II, where he survived, as well as the Korean War.
00:10:48.280On February 8, 1944, in Italy, he managed to repair a 1,400-meter-long telephone wire while under heavy shelling by the enemy.
00:11:00.140He then engaged in 24 hours of solo spying that led to four enemy positions being destroyed.
00:11:06.340Now, sadly, despite surviving both World War II and the Korean War, when he got back to Canada, Prince's life sort of started to deteriorate.
00:11:14.540His life became increasingly difficult as his job prospects were slim, and he continued to struggle with alcoholism.
00:11:20.840Eventually, he became estranged from his own family.
00:11:23.060His own children went into foster care, and he continued to live in destitute.
00:11:28.460He lived at a Salvation Army hostel, and he died in Canada homeless.
00:11:33.900So, very, very, very sad story for an incredible war hero.
00:11:38.220Okay, moving on, another World War II veteran.
00:11:40.720I want to talk a little bit about an individual named Ernest Smokey Smith.
00:11:44.620So, he was born on May 3, 1914, in New Westminster, British Columbia.
00:11:48.600So, he enlisted with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in March 1940, and began basic training with the Royal Canadian Regiment in Toronto.
00:11:57.000He went on to complete his training at Camp Borden before sailing out of Halifax to join the war effort in Europe.
00:12:03.420During the Second World War, Smokey became the only Canadian private to earn the Victoria Cross after he almost single-handedly fought off German tanks and soldiers during the Italian campaign.
00:12:14.680So, in October 1944, as the Allies were pushing through northern Italy against fierce German resistance, Smokey and his small platoon were sent across the flooded Savio River to secure an important bench head.
00:12:27.520After capturing the position, they came under an intense enemy counterattack.
00:12:31.400The Germans dispatched three Panther tanks, self-propelled artillery guns, and a horde of infantry to retake the position, pinning the Canadians down near the river.
00:12:43.480He grabbed an anti-tank bazooka and sprang into action under intense enemy fire.
00:12:48.900He walked to about 30 feet of the first Panther tank and took it out with a single shot.
00:12:54.420So, once the Germans overcame the surprise of Smokey's audacity, they sent 10 of their own infantrymen to go in and get rid of Smokey unfazed.
00:13:03.600Smokey grabbed his Tommy gun, stood his ground, killed four enemy soldiers, forcing the remainder to retreat.
00:13:09.760He continued to hold his position while defending a wounded comrade, forcing additional German forces to withdraw in disorder before carrying his friend to safety.
00:13:19.500So, this is the kind of thing that Canadians were once known for, being just incredibly, incredibly tough and standing their ground.
00:13:25.900Okay, now I want to finish off by talking about a Canadian war hero from my own generation.
00:13:30.760I want to talk about someone who fought in the Afghanistan War.
00:13:34.180I'm talking about Nicola Goddard, who was the first Canadian soldier to die in combat.
00:13:39.560So, she was the first of three children for British and Canadian school teachers Tim and Sally Goddard.
00:13:44.400By the age of 18, she had lived in seven different communities across Canada and attended high school in Anaganish, Nova Scotia.
00:13:51.920So, after graduating from high school, Nicola flew off to Montreal for a basic officer's training course at the St. Jean Garrison.
00:13:59.820She then completed four years of Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.
00:14:04.000She graduated as a trained artillery officer and was posted to the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery as a second lieutenant.
00:14:11.100She then deployed to Afghanistan in January 2006 as a forward observation officer attached to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
00:14:20.880On May 17, 2006, Nicola Goddard and over 200 Canadian and Afghan soldiers were tasked to sweep an area south of Kandahar in the Panjwahi District.
00:14:31.180The mission was to root out an element of the Taliban that was gathering in this area.
00:14:35.760So, Nicola and her team were then ambushed by militants as they moved into a mosque in the district.
00:14:42.300Scrapnel struck Goddard in the back of the head, killing her instantly.